[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Swainson's Warblers in mts.



I found a total of 9 Swainson's Warblers in two days of driving lots of
back roads along the Blue ridge escarpment south and east of Blowing
Rock, NC, over the CBC weekend.  Two were along Sampson Road, where
several of us watched one signing in plain sight for 3 minutes!
Yesterday, sunday, I heard 7 singing in northern Caldwell Co., mainly
between Upton and Boone Fork campground. Most were heard from my car
along dirt roads, as I was driving very slowly.

A few weeks ago someone asked about whether Swainson's were still in
Graham County, as he could not locate any at spots in Mark Simpson's
book. I heard a Swainson's a few years ago west of Fontana Village.

I do not know if the writer drove slowly along back roads with the
windows down, listening for Swainson's, or made a lot of stops along the
roads to give a listen. Some birders travel with windows up, get out of
the car at the spots listed in a bird guide, and that is it. Needless to
say, one needs to drive slowly, with windows down, or stop often. Check
plenty of rhododendron/mountain laurel thickets, not just where a guide
says. Birders tend to play tapes at well-known spots and drive the birds
away. That has happened elsewhere, and maybe it has happened in Graham
Co.

Swainson's Warbler are out there in the NC mountains. I'd rather not
pinpoint my exact locations, for fear of birders driving them out with
tape recordings. Also, I'd like for folks to drive around and find their
own, so that they can get in the habit of doing this. For example,
Swainson's Warblers are found along Curtis Creek Rd. in McDowell co. I'd
just as soon birders drive the road very slowly, with windows down, stop
often, etc., rather than telling them exactly at what bend in the road
they are at. Besides, the birds can move territories from one year to
another. You might find lots of other interesting birds by "cruising",
such as Worm-eating Warblers, maybe a Cerulean Warbler, etc.

Harry LeGrand

--
Harry LeGrand
NC Natural Heritage Program
1615 MSC
Raleigh, NC 27699-1615
(919) 715-8687 (work)
FAX: 919-715-3085
e-mail: harry.legrand@ncmail.net